Seeds of Mobilization: The Authoritarian Roots of South Korea's Democracy by Joan E.Cho, Ann Arbor, MI, University of Michigan Press, 2024, xxi + 253 pp.

law, plunging the country into crisis.This self-coup attempt exposed both the strengths and weaknesses of South Korea's democracy.On the strength side, immediately after the declaration, opposition parties and some ruling party members rushed to the National Assembly to nullify the martial law order.The public also reacted swiftly, organizing movements to defend South Korean democracy.However, on the weakness side, the country's democratic system failed to prevent such an undemocratic move in the first place.Furthermore, even after the president was impeached for his unconstitutional actions, surveys revealed that 15% to 20% of people believed the declaration of martial law was a legitimate decision by the president, and 20% to 30% believed he should not face impeachment.This suggests that a portion of the population endorses the president's use of authoritarian methods.How, then, can we assess South Korean democracy?Is it a truly functioning democracy?After decades of democratic consolidation since the transition in 1987, why does the country still experience such dramatic democratic upheavals?In her book Seeds of Mobilization, Joan Cho shows that the answer can lie in the process of democratic transition.Modernization theory suggests that economic development is likely to lead to democratization through the growth of the educated and middle class.However, if development is driven by autocrats, it can also legitimize their rule.This is where the South Korean case comes in.The authoritarian state in South Korea played a significant role in the country's economic development and poverty reduction, which helped stabilize authoritarian rule up until the 1970s.However, continued economic growth and changes in the social structure began to undermine the authoritarian regime in the 1980s, eventually leading to the June Democratic Struggle of 1987, the June 29 Declaration that promised democratic reforms, a constitutional amendment, and the country's democratization.How, then, does economic development play both stabilizing and destabilizing roles in South Korea?In addressing these questions, Cho focuses on the organization of social forces, which gain momentum as economic development deepens.She highlights two key social actors: workers and students.Continued economic development creates new political opportunities for these groups, ultimately empowering them.Starting with workers: Initially, workers benefited from authoritarian state-led economic development.Moreover, in the 1960s and 1970s, labor repression prevented workers from participating in protests, challenging the authoritarian regime.The Park regime severely suppressed labor during this period, beginning with the banning of unions from political activities in 1963 and the suspension of basic workers' rights,